Recruitment marketing functions were once seen as the ‘colouring-in’ department that usually fixed things without thanks.
Eventually, we became known as the ‘necessary evil’, which at least gave us a place at the table! However we’re now feeling a noticeable shift - one that is seeing marketing mature to a revenue-generating function that seamlessly drives and supports sales.
We've been thinking about doing a survey like this for years and it would have certainly been useful when I was starting my career in recruitment marketing almost two decades ago. Such a lot has changed since then; the brick of a book called The Yellow Pages appeared online, Facebook launched and LinkedIn wasn't the go-to tool for recruiters as it is today.
Fast forward two decades and here we are. Recruitment marketing can be challenging at times, due to a whole host of factors. We've also had a state of permacrisis the past two years, coupled with such incredible hypergrowth. At times it's been hard to know which way is up - but, we’re incredibly passionate about this crazy rollercoaster of an industry!
What's been particularly impressive is the resilience and agility of our clients and the market as a whole. We've made huge strides as an industry, often leading our clients with their own employer brand and E,D&I by providing more consultancy services. This is the true power of the industry - sharing information, advice and supporting each other.
So, that’s exactly what we're doing with this report.
What the data tells me is that we've come such a long way as an industry and have much to be proud of, yet there is still much to be done.
Across the industry, there has been a noticeable development in terms of pay grades, job satisfaction, and future career plans. For the industry at large, this presents a massive opportunity. We’ve done so much to ensure that people feel valued, so now is the time to get it right for all. For some recruitment businesses, this could look like investing more in recruitment marketing talent. For others, it could be supporting your in-house recruitment marketing team with the right tools, techstack and equipment to amplify what they do already and put your recruitment marketing on steroids. However the key takeaway for all is to ensure you know the hard and soft metrics that indicate success for your business, in both your recruitment marketing talent strategy and your marketing outlook.
Please make use of this information to build on your existing efforts and to make smart, cost-effective business decisions that support and help to retain the valuable marketing talent you have. If you're a marketing professional struggling to be heard in your organisation, then this report is the ammo you need to open up professional conversations in the midst of a defining year.
As a business leader, if you're cutting your marketing budgets this year, proceed with caution. If you are investing more, then you know something your competitor's don't. The three Cs are never more important than in challenging markets - Clients, Candidates and Colleagues marketing must all be considered, planned and executed swiftly to get ahead of the curve.